Dr. Guillermo Zaragoza

Dr. Guillermo Zaragoza is a senior scientist at the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), which is the largest center for research, development, and testing of concentrating solar technologies in Europe and a reference in solar energy for the last 30 years. PSA is a division of the Center for Energy, Environment and Technological Research (CIEMAT), part of the Ministry of Science and Innovation that acts as a public research agency for excellence in the areas of energy, environment, and technology.

Dr. Zaragoza has a degree in astrophysics and a PhD in applied physics. He has worked at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía of the Spanich Research Council and the Atmospheric Physics department of the University of Oxford but with the new millenium moved to sunnier climates to work on solar energy. He has participated in several European R&D projects on solar thermal energy and desalination. His lecturing activities include a master course on solar energy at the University of Almería and an international course on desalination with solar energy organized by the European Desalination Society.

One of the projects he has been involved with is ProDes (Promotion of Renewable Energy for Water production through Desalination), which brought together fourteen leading European organizations to support the market development of renewable energy desalination in Southern Europe. The project started on October 1, 2008, and continued for two years, facilitating collaboration between RE-desalination technology providers and SMEs on the local level. It also supported communication between technology providers and investors. It developed courses and a road-map on RE-desalination, and provided recommendations for improving the legislative and institutional conditions in each country. It also provided training for students and professionals. Dr. Zaragoza is a founding member of the RE-desalination working group, which aims to carry on the torch of ProDes project.